Guys, lately I have been HARDCORE struggling. It takes all of my strength to get myself through the day so that I can crash in bed at night… and it is e.x.h.a.u.s.t.i.n.g!
Because of this, I have been hearing the phrase, “God will not test you beyond what you are able” a lot. Welllll, let me tell you, these past few weeks I have frequently asked God if He is sure He did not confuse me with someone else because I am NOT capable of handling this, and am very frustrated in doing so. Not only does this failure to overcome my troubles make me feel distant from God, but it makes me feel useless in accomplishing the plan He has for me until I heal myself. I feel as if being unable to get into the Word as frequently, or having to watch church online rather than attending in person because of pure exhaustion, means I am too broken and messy for God to possibly use me to fulfill His plan in that moment.
This is not true! Struggling through life and trials does not mean that God will suddenly decide you are inadequate to accomplish the plans He has laid out for your life. Why? Because He does not expect you to be able to handle these things on your own! In fact, the passage of the Bible where this phrase originates actually claims this: 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide a way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” God provides you with the help you need to overcome your situation. He wants you to rely on Him, build a relationship with Him, and trust that He can use you even on the worst days. I have been reading a book my mom bought for me called You’re Going to Be Okay, and the author states this beautifully:
“Your weakness and struggles are not the reasons for Him (God) to give up on you. Instead, they are opportunities for you to show His strength in ways you simply can’t on your best days.”
The idea that you cannot be a part of God’s plan when you are broken is a lie. You have a purpose and I have a purpose, even now in the middle of our darkest days! We don’t have to wait until we fix ourselves or conquer whatever is consistently weighing us down. God never meant for things to be within our human limits of what we can bear. In fact, I think it is very common for God to allow certain circumstances to enter our lives just to prove how much we cannot function without Him. By doing this, we realize just how much we need God in our lives to help us survive!
Even better, God does not depend on our success and abilities for Him to fulfill His plans in our lives. WE ARE NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO MESS UP GOD’S PLAN! I mean He is the God of the universe after all… in reality, He could fulfill everything on His own without using us at all. But He allows us to be brought into His unbelievably amazing plans to build a relationship with us, as we learn to depend on Him to help us through everything life throws our way.
I know this isn’t the most polished blog, but it is something I have to remind myself of every day! I hope it helps anyone struggling to realize that there will be days where you physically don’t have the energy to get out of bed. And that is okay, because if you call on God, He will help you. You don’t have to keep striving for perfection, but simply receive God’s help and allow Him to carry you through life’s toughest moments.
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